


Have and Hold

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, King Stannis, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-07 21:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20463410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: When Robert's death forces Stannis into a role he never wanted or anticipated he might have, Davos gives up on the prospect of ever marrying him. Stannis, however, proves to be full of surprises.





	Have and Hold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greygerbil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greygerbil/gifts).

Stannis had told Davos to go to bed, but he was waiting up when Stannis returned. 

"How is he?" he asked with enough anxiety that Stannis decided it was not feigned. 

"Alive." He pulled his gloves off, having realized he still wore them. "But for how long no one can say."

Davos' lips were pressed together. "Stannis, I am so sorry."

Stannis shook his head. "It can't be helped." He ran his hand through his hair, belatedly realizing it had his brother's blood on it. 

"I've been praying." Davos said this quietly, and Stannis noticed a candle lit on the little altar Davos kept in the corner of their sitting room. He said nothing. _It is important to him and he believes it helps._ Stannis could not say tact was one of his strong points, but at least he knew to hold his tongue in this instance. 

"Thank you," he said, for lack of anything else to say. 

Davos took a deep breath. "I'm just glad _you_ are safe." Stannis saw now that his hands were trembling. 

_He was worried for me._ Stannis was still not used to having a lover's care. He opened his arms and pulled Davos close, heedless of the fact that his brother's blood was on his hinting greens. "I am fine. I was nowhere near him." 

Speaking the words sent it all rushing back, the dark of the Kingswood, the branches scratching at his face as he ran. Stannis had nocked an arrow in his bow when he'd heard Robert cry out. After that was a blur. Stannis had pushed his way to his brother's side, and his heart sank to see the arrow sticking out of Robert's chest. Stannis had seen enough battles and spent enough time studying with Maester Cressen to know the wound would be fatal. 

Robert had clutched at the front of Stannis' tunic, leaving bloody handprints. His breath had come as an agonized gasp, barely managing Stannis' name. Robert had not spoken until they'd gotten him back to the castle. Stannis had crouched in the back of the wagon, gripping his brother's hand the entire way. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps the wound was not too deep; perhaps the maesters could save his life. 

Stannis blinked back to awareness. He barely remembered that Davos had rung for a bath and nearly forcibly stripped Stannis to get him in it. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back in the forest, or in the wagon, holding Robert's hand like he had not since they were children.

Stannis sank back in the bath, resting his head against the edge of the tub. It had never bothered him that he didn't fit in it; his knees were out of the water, but now he wished he could immerse himself fully and wash the memories from his mind. 

**

Davos busied himself while Stannis was bathing, laying out his nightclothes and disposing of his hunting greens. He didn't want Stannis to have to look at them later. The iron band around his chest began to relax as it sank in that Stannis was uninjured. Davos knew he ought to be worried for the king, who was as much his king as he was Stannis', but his sole concern had been for his lover. He did not feel truly at ease until Stannis had exited the bathing room and pulled on his shift and nightcap. 

"If he dies," Stannis began. He swallowed hard, adam's apple bobbing. "_When_ he dies, Davos, I will be king."

Davos had not thought of that. He came forward and kissed Stannis softly on the mouth. "And you shall have me to help you however I can."

**

Stannis wasn't sure that he actually slept. He was up before dawn to take Renly to see Robert. _It hasn't even been a year since the siege_, Stannis thought as Renly clung solemnly to his hand on the way to the chamber where Robert had been brought. It was not even the king's bedchamber, but one of the lower guest chambers, the first one they'd encountered. 

As soon as he stepped into the room, Stannis knew Robert would not last the day. The freshly-changed linen was already bloody. 

"Robert!" Renly scurried forward and tried to climb on the bed, but Stannis reached for him. 

Robert groaned, and Stannis felt his stomach roil. He and Robert were not close, much less so as they'd grown up. It still pained him to see Robert, usually hale and hearty, so reduced.

Stannis squeezed Renly's shoulder and took a deep breath. "We are going to say good-bye."

"Robert, don't go, please!" It hurt just as much, perhaps more, to see Renly so distraught. He was obviously struggling not to cry. 

"Renly," Robert murmured. "You'll have to be strong, lad." Robert gripped Renly's shoulder as tightly as he could, but it was clear his strength was leaving him. "Be strong for Stannis; he'll need it."

Renly snuffled, but to his credit, he did not cry. He squeezed Robert's hand tightly in both of his, and when he was ushered out of the room by a servant, there were tears streaming down his cheeks. 

Stannis knelt by the bed and took Robert's hand. It felt odd; he had not done this since they were children, had not really got on since they were children. With obvious effort, Robert turned his head. 

"Stannis," he said, his voice barely audible.

"Robert, it's all right, you don't have to talk," he heard himself saying. He reached for the cup so Robert might have some water. 

Robert sipped weakly. "Always thought you should've been older. You'd make the better king."

It seemed ridiculous to argue with him when he was about to die. "I will try to be a just king."

"You will be." Robert's eyes closed. "Stay with me, Stannis?"

"Of course." Stannis settled on the bed next to him, still holding Robert's hand. He was reminded of when they were children—there had once been a time, very long ago, when they were inseparable, sharing a bed in the nursery, playing long after their nurse had gone to bed. 

Robert did not speak again, and he slipped away hours later.

**

It was dawn before Stannis was able to leave Robert's bedside. He had been pronounced dead by the maester and anointed by the septon, who had then quickly proceeded to anoint Stannis as King of the Seven Kingdoms.

At long last, he trudged back to his rooms, where Davos lay asleep in his bed. He paused, looking down upon him. He could not bear to wake him. Stannis' heart ached at how much he loved him. And now they had just been deprived of their only chance at happiness. 

"Stannis?" Davos pushed himself and brushed his hair from his eyes. "How is—?"

"Dead." Stannis swallowed hard. "My brother died this morning." 

"Oh, Stannis." Davos sat up fully and wrapped his arms around him. Stannis squeezed him back, not having realized how much he needed this. He found himself drawn back against Davos' chest. 

"I am sorry, Davos. I'm afraid I am king now," he murmured into Davos' nightshift. 

Davos kissed the top of his head and stroked his hair. "You shall make a splendid king."

He sighed. "That was what Robert said before he died." 

"He was right." Davos lay down with Stannis beside him. "And I will be with you every step." 

"Thank you, Davos." Stannis pulled him close. He did not—could not—say what would happen next, that their peaceful, private life would come to an end. He would savor these moments while they lasted, for as long as Davos could hold him.

**

The weeks following Robert's death passed by in a blur. All the while, Davos tried to stay out of the way. There was no role at court for the new king's paramour, and he sat in the back at Robert's funeral, watching as Stannis eulogized his brother. There were mourners from throughout the Seven Kingdoms, great lords in whose presence Davos preferred to remain in the shadows. 

He had precious little time to spend alone with Stannis and found he missed him achingly when Stannis sat at the high table talking to his council, with Davos relegated to the low table. Inside of a month, Stannis had moved into the royal apartments, and Davos had been given a set of rooms on the floor below.

They suited him, though he wasn't sure he rated accommodation in Maegor's Holdfast, especially if his relationship with Stannis was to come to an end. He would have to marry soon, to a highborn man or woman. He could not snub the lords of the great houses by wedding a common smugger. (Davos had not been under the illusion that he and Stannis might be wed even before Robert's death—but he'd thought perhaps Stannis could delay marrying at all.) 

He opted not to question it, for it was a nice set of rooms—a sitting room with a large fireplace and a bedroom hung with blue, with a view overlooking the sea. 

"Davos." 

Davos jumped such that he might have been afraid of hitting his head on the ceiling were he a little taller. 

"Stannis! I didn't hear you come in." He wanted to run to him, but felt that this would be silly. It did seem a long time since he'd seen him, though—his hair was mussed from what Davos supposed was him running his fingers through it, and his face seemed thinner. 

_His husband or wife when he gets one must make him eat_, he thought. 

"That was my object." Stannis took a cautious step forward, and Davos could see now he'd come into Davos' bedroom not from the sitting room but from behind the tapestry on the wall. "See this—it is truly rather ingenious." He drew the tapestry out of the way, revealing an opening in the wall. Beyond, Davos could see a stone staircase leading up and down. "This leads up to the royal apartments and down to the cliffs." He crossed the room and took Davos in his arms. "I can visit you. I have missed you so, Davos." 

Davos pulled him close. "And I you. But is it truly all right?" 

"It ought to be." Stannis kissed him firmly. "No one will know." The kiss deepened and Davos' fingers found their way to Stannis' doublet laces. He couldn't say he was entirely satisfied, but he was willing to accept it for now.

**

Stannis loathed being king. There were no two ways about it. He detested Robert's hangers-on, and he dismissed as many of them as he dared. Jon Arryn agreed to stay as Hand, which he thanked him for—he hoped Arryn took that thanks as genuine. Stannis often had difficulty making himself understood to others, and he did not know how this man who had been so like a father to Robert would feel about him. 

Only Davos allowed him to relax. As soon as he was alone in the evenings, after he was through with his work, he would go to the alcove with the one wall sconce which turned and proceed down the stairs. Davos' room was one level below his and he would slide the door aside and step from behind the tapestry. 

"You are like a hero in a song." Davos smiled at him from the bed, the candlelight glinting on strands of red and gold in his hair that Davos always denied were there. "Sneaking into my chamber."

"That is the first time I have ever heard myself so described." Stannis set his candle down and began to strip. Davos squirmed beneath the covers, and he realized with a tug in his middle that he was wearing nothing. 

"Well, come here anyway." Davos extended his arm, and Stannis shuffled obediently over to the bed. "How was your day?" To his surprise (and pleasure), Davos did not begin immediately with the matter at hand, though they were both utterly undressed. 

"Tolerable. I am in need of a master of coin and plan to ask my uncle."

"You must refrain from continuing to dismiss your courtiers." 

Stannis sat up. "But they are intolerable, Davos. Have you met them?" 

"You will catch more flies with honey."

"And why should I wish to collect flies at all?" 

"Because less ruffled feathers means an easier kingship." Davos stroked his hair, planting a kiss on his temple. 

Stannis grunted. "Davos, I wish—" He cupped his cheek, brushing his thumb over Davos' beard. He could not get the words out. It would hurt more to speak about how they could not be wed. Instead, he simply pulled Davos to him, and tried to forget that he was king.

**

The problem, Davos decided, was that he was bored. Without serving Stannis as his knight and being dispatched on errands for him, he felt very idle. He went daily to the sept, thinking at least that his mother would approve. He also spent time exploring the castle. 

But more than any of that, he missed Stannis.

He came to him nearly every night, which Davos had initially thought would be enough, but he'd become accustomed to his relationship with Stannis being more than just sex. More often than not, Stannis would slip out after the first sleep, sometimes without even waiting for Davos to wake. After months of sharing a bed when Stannis was Master of Ships, Davos disliked the emptiness of sleeping and waking alone.

_No use lying abed, then_, Davos thought. He slipped on the silk dressing gown that had been a gift (with much blushing) from Stannis and parted the curtains.

"Kella?"

The maid who had been crouched in front of the grate lifted her head. "Davos!" 

So little did he expect to see an old friend in this unfamiliar place that he hugged her tight, despite her sooty work dress and his relative lack of clothing. 

"I didn't know you worked in the Red Keep." He squeezed her hands as they parted. 

Kella laughed. "They didn't believe downstairs that I used to play with the king's favorite back when we were growing up in Fleabottom."

Davos flushed. "I'm sorry I didn't know—"

She shrugged and turned back to the fire. "You aren't supposed to. I'm in and out before you're even awake. And you're a _Ser_ now," she went on. "I oughtn't be calling you just plain Davos."

"You must always call me just plain Davos," Davos said firmly. "No matter what I am."

"Downstairs, we hoped perhaps—" She shook her head. "How fine you are now, being with the king and all." 

Davos fidgeted, tugging at the belt of his robe. Suddenly, he felt like nothing more than a kept man, installed in a chamber with a secret passage for the king's pleasure. 

_That is nonsense_, he told himself. Stannis' glee at finding the passage had had nothing of the selfish lord, wanting to keep his paramour hidden away. His delight had been purely born of the academic, the same man who was in raptures over rocks they found on their seaside walks. 

Davos sat beside the fire, watching Kella work. "It's not really all that," he said. "The king has been good to me."

"I can see that," she said, looking at his dressing gown. "But he should let you dress so fine when you're out of the bedroom."

"Oh no," Davos said quickly. "I like plain clothes. The king has no bearing on my clothes."

"You might want him to, lest his attention wander."

Davos had to smile. "I don't think King Stannis is like that." It still felt odd to refer to him that way, but Davos had to admit he made a splendid king. When he saw him. 

Kella made a skeptical noise. "He'll have to marry one day. The highborn care for nothing more than getting their heir so he'll be bound to marry some lord's daughter. King Robert was supposed to wed Lord Lannister's daughter, so Stannis will probably be for her, too."

Davos' stomach swam. He had been avoiding thinking about that possibility, and now he was forcibly reminded of its likeliness. 

"It might be he'll still want you," she said matter-of-factly. 

"I didn't exactly intend for this to happen." 

"I know." Kella rose. "But it has, and you've got to figure out what you're going to do. If you ever need anything, you know I'm here. It was good to see you, Davos." 

He smiled. Despite his apprehension, he was glad to see Kella, and he hugged her again. 

He was relieved when she was gone, though; he wasn't entirely comfortable having someone he'd played with as a child as a servant, though it didn't seem to bother Kella, who was her old self. 

_Perhaps being a lord's paramour has changed me_, Davos thought, regarding himself in the mirror. 

The fine garment looked out of place on his thin shoulders, with his plain brown hair hanging over it. He felt much better when he'd changed into a roughspun tunic, breeches, and old boots. He looked like someone who could remain invisible, which satisfied him just fine.

**

Stannis had had to leave Davos' bed far too early that morning, and he'd not been able to sleep a wink when back in his own. This left him trying to navigate his morning council meeting with a pounding headache.

Lord Arryn came up to him after, preventing him from slinking away to lie in his bedchamber with a wet cloth over his eyes. (Or, more hopefully, to do that in Davos' bedchamber.)

"There is something we must discuss, Your Grace." Lord Arryn folded his hands. "That is the matter of your marriage. Lord Tywin has sent a letter, asking when you intend to wed his daughter." 

"I do not." That was an easy enough answer. 

Lord Arryn sighed. "Your Grace, I had expected…"

"Expected what?" Stannis wasn't in the mood for an argument. 

"Your brother…" He paused. "Your brother was going to marry the lady Cersei but he was reluctant; he said he was still mourning Lady Lyanna. In my view, Tywin Lannister has waited long enough and we do not want to keep a hungry lion waiting."

"He can wait all he likes. I can't marry her." 

Arryn raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had more integrity than to lose your head over some smuggler from Fleabottom."

Despite his headache, Stannis felt the anger bubble up within his chest. "I will ask you not to speak on matters of which you know nothing."

"Your Grace, I spent the better part of a year helping your brother rule this kingdom. You need a consort." 

The only image that came to mind was Davos, Davos in his plain roughspun. As much as Stannis hated it, he could not give in to duty and marry anyone else. 

"I will deliberate," he said, then rose to go lie in a darkened room with a damp cloth. Sometimes being king had its advantages. 

**

Davos ate breakfast in the great hall, though he did not talk to anyone. Afterward, he set to walking, though he had no particular destination in mind. He was going down the stairs, thinking of how he missed Stannis when he heard the crying. 

Just around the bend of the staircase, his head buried in his hands, was Renly Baratheon. Davos realized suddenly that he had forgotten all about the little lord in the weeks since Robert's death. He remembered him at the funeral, pale-faced and red-eyed, but he hadn't seen him since.

Davos made his way slowly down the stairs that separated them. 

"Are you all right, my lord?" 

Renly looked up, unable to control his sobs. Davos felt his heart twist. This was just a child, only six years old. He was not going to let protocol stand in his way. He sat down on the steps beside Renly and pulled him into his lap.

"Shh," he breathed. "What's wrong?"

"_Everything_," he choked out with a wail. "My brother died and my other brother hates me and I don't _want_ to go back to Storm's End and be all alo-ooo-ne." 

"Shh, shh." Davos began rocking him instinctively. "I know one thing for sure—Stannis doesn't hate you."

"But he hasn't talked to me since Robert died." Davos' tunic was now well and truly soaked. "They said he didn't have time for me."

"Who said?"

"The guards." 

Davos' grip on him tightened. "They don't know anything. We will talk to Stannis."

"He won't listen to me."

"He'll listen to _me_," Davos said fiercely. "And I'm certain he doesn't hate you." He brushed Renly's hair back from his face and dried his tears with his own sleeve. "He's just been very busy." Davos ignored his own thoughts that Stannis' ardor toward him might be cooling. He would insist Stannis reassure his little brother over any of his own concerns. 

"Come," he said, rising, lifting Renly onto his hip. He was heavy; Davos could tell he would be just like his brothers when he was grown, but he could give the lad a little love. With no parents and one distant brother, he needed all he could get. 

Davos brought Renly back to his own rooms. "We'll get you cleaned up, and then we'll go and see Stannis." 

He sat Renly down at his washstand and wiped his face. Then, he took up a brush and made an attempt to tame his hair. 

"You do good, Ser Davos," Renly said. "Nurse always pulls."

Davos smiled. "I remember well enough being your age."

Renly nodded. "You aren't much like a grownp, Ser Davos. I like you."

Davos smiled. "I've striven to be as little like a grownup as possible."

"I thought you might marry Stannis, but now he's always going around with his councilors. Shall I be your friend now?" 

"I would like that very much." 

Suddenly, the wall paneling swung open and Stannis lurched out. 

"Stannis!" Renly exclaimed, spinning in his seat. "How did you get in the wall?"

Stannis froze, eyes wide. He obviously wasn't expecting to see his brother and Davos together, much less in such a cozy scene. Davos was prepared to field any objections.

"Davos," Stannis said. His adam's apple bobbed. Davos was struck by how much he loved every inch of him, from his messy hair to his cold feet pressed against Davos' legs in the middle of the night. 

"Stannis, tell me how you got in the wall," Renly demanded. "Please."

Stannis seemed entirely caught off guard. "The castle is full of passages such as this one. For—for reasons I will explain to you later."

Renly nodded dubiously. 

"I came for another reason." Stannis looked at Davos, his blue eyes filled with uncertainty. 

Davos' stomach dropped, and his grip tightened on Renly's shoulder. Stannis could not dismiss him with Renly here, could he?

"I…" Stannis looked close to panic. 

Davos merely waited.

"Stannis, please, please show me the secret passage!"

"I will," Stannis said sharply. Then he softened, repeating himself. "I will." He took a deep breath. "Right after Ser Davos tells me if he will marry me." 

"You may show Renly the passage now," Davos said. "I should like to think on it."

Renly looked back and forth between them, looking afraid to say anything more. He slid off the stool and went to Stannis; the two brothers vanished in the darkness of the stairwell. The paneling shut behind them, leaving Davos alone with his thoughts.

**

Stannis ought not to have resented Renly for pulling him away from Davos—in fact, it had been Davos who'd sent him away. Perhaps that was what he found so maddeningly distracting as he led Renly up the steep stairs to his chambers.

"Who put this here?" Renly asked, running his hand along the smooth stone of the walls. 

"King Maegor, I would presume, when he had this castle built." Stannis was not in the mood for a history lesson, and he regretted he had not the energy to explain all he wished to. 

Renly looked up at Stannis uncertainly. "Stannis, are you mad at me?"

Stannis stopped. "No. Of course not."

"All right." Renly looked down. "I thought maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

Suddenly, there was a snuffle. "I thought maybe you didn't like me anymore now that you were king."

"Of course not!" The last thing he wanted was for crying to start. Stannis dropped to the step and sat Renly beside him. "You are my brother, my last remaining brother. I would never, ever turn my back on you."

"But you've been busy."

"Running a kingdom is hard work, Renly. When you are a man grown, you will see that, because you will serve on my council and help me." 

"So will you marry Ser Davos?" Renly asked. Perhaps Stannis had imagined it but there seemed to be a hopeful tone to his voice. 

Stannis sighed. "That is up to him. But I would sooner have him than anyone else."

"He _must_ say yes," Renly said firmly. "Who wouldn't want to marry the king?"

Stannis stroked his hair. "A very sensible man."

**

Davos went back and forth all afternoon. He wanted to marry Stannis more than anything else in the world, but he dreaded what would happen after. 

He did not leave his rooms for the rest of the day; he even rang for dinner, which he never did. Even the servant who came to answer his summons seemed surprised, as Davos had never before pulled the bell rope in his room. 

Kella brought his meal, and they had a pleasant chat, Davos trying not to let on what his inner turmoil was. 

He went to bed early and lay awake, waiting for Stannis' appearance.

It came later than usual, and Davos was beginning to wonder if he planned to come at all. 

"Davos, are you awake?" Stannis hissed from the direction of the tapestry. 

Davos sat up. "Yes." 

"Good." Stannis entered, set his candle down, and blew it out. There was enough light from the full moon to see that Stannis did not strip entirely, just down to shirt and braies. He climbed into bed, molding his body to Davos' back.

"Davos," he said quietly. "I am sorry for asking you that question this morning."

"Are you apologizing for asking me to marry you?"

He could practically feel Stannis' blush. "No. Never. But I did not mean to place you in quite such an uncomfortable position. That is the last thing I want to do, Davos. I know you will not like life as my consort. Nor do I wish to stow you away like some…"

"Kept man?" Davos suggested.

Stannis toyed with a lock of his hair. "You are not that. But, Davos, I… I cannot give you up." He swallowed hard, all his focus seeming to be on the strands he held. Davos shivered. "I love you."

Davos felt his whole body relax, making him suddenly aware of how tensely he'd been holding himself. "I love you, too," he murmured. "That is why I cannot marry you."

"Davos—" Stannis' voice was as he'd never heard it.

"I cannot be your consort." He paused. "Not because I don't want to be; I don't care what they think of me. I care what they think of _you_. And you must appease your lords."

"No, I must not. I must not let this throne drive me as mad as the old king. And without you, Davos, I will."

"You will have me," Davos said quietly. 

"Not as I want you." Stannis kissed the back of his head, continuing to stroke his hair. 

"They will not like you."

"They already do not like me," Stannis said. "If I married Lord Tywin's daughter, they still would not like me."

Davos said nothing. He could not argue with that, but he desperately wanted Stannis to be a king beloved of his people.

"What would you do if I was lowborn?" Stannis whispered.

"What would you be if you were lowborn?" 

Stannis thought for a moment. His arms tightened around Davos, pulling him close. "A fisherman," he said softly. "I'd live in a cottage on Shipbreaker Bay."

"With little Renly?" 

"Aye. We would have a little boat and spend our days fishing."

"And you might meet a smuggler, then?" 

"I might meet a smuggler." He twined his fingers in with Davos' shortened ones. "And I would ask that smuggler to marry me."

Davos had a sudden image of Stannis the fisherman, no doubt still his often-grim self, but dedicated and loving. "The smuggler would say yes." 

"And what would the smuggler say if the fisherman was a king?"

Davos bit his lip, but Stannis' hand was firm on his own. 

"The smuggler would say yes." 

**

Stannis stayed the whole night and they made love before dawn. He slipped out almost reluctantly, and Davos lay abed, basking in the afterglow of the proposal. 

_Yes_, he thought, _I want to be his husband._

There was still much he was unsure of—namely how he and Stannis would be accepted at court, but the thought of being with Stannis forever brought a smile to his face. He rang for breakfast almost reluctantly, but Stannis had told him as the king's fiancé, he could no longer eat unattended in the hall. 

Kella brought it, and he could not resist sharing the news with her.

"Davos, that's wonderful!" She kissed his cheek. "I never would have guessed." 

He winced at this, but decided it was best left go. "You will be there, won't you?"

Kella laughed. "There will be much to do downstairs, I dare say!"

"No," Davos said hurriedly. "I am inviting you to the wedding."

"I surely can't—"

"You can," Davos said firmly. "You are my oldest friend here and I will ask who I like."

Kella beamed. "Then I certainly cannot refuse an invitation."

She swept out with the tray of dirty dishes, and Davos hoped Stannis would not oppose his having invited his friend. 

**

"Are you nervous?" Stannis felt the need to ask this because Davos appeared terrified. 

"Not at all, darling." He bussed Stannis on the cheek. Stannis frowned. Davos had never called him darling. He must be _very_ nervous indeed.

"You needn't say anything," Stannis assured him, offering Davos his arm, which he accepted quickly. "You just have to look as though you want to marry me."

Davos smiled, his nerves seemingly gone. "That won't be hard." He kissed Stannis more firmly on the mouth and took a bracing breath. 

Davos thought he looked handsome in his new velvet doublet, with his hair pulled back. He could not resist kissing him again, which brought a true smile to his lips. 

Stannis entered first, feeling a thrill of satisfaction as the entire court knelt as one. He knew they did not love him as they had loved Robert, but they were bound by protocol, and he was their king. 

"Rise," he said, after they had bowed enough. "Today I announce my betrothal and present my fiancé." 

"The Lord Davos Seaworth, Lord of the Rainwood and Lord Admiral of the Narrow Sea," announced the herald. 

Davos had argued against this temporary title—clearly out of dread for the fact that he would be a prince shortly, which was bad enough, but Stannis insisted it be done. 

Davos made his way confidently down the center aisle and knelt before Stannis. Then, he rose and joined Stannis on the dais. Stannis tired to ignore the glares of those members of the court who might have disapproved. Jon Arryn was smiling, which raised his spirits substantially. Over the last few weeks, he'd had a much better relationship with his Hand than he had at the beginning of his reign. He even got the sense that the older man had stopped comparing him unfavorably to Robert. 

This was bourn out by the betrothal feast which followed the formal presentation, after which the older man pulled him aside. 

"I cannot say I was initially pleased, Your Grace." They had left the hall and were in the garden, the air heavy with the approaching humidity of summer. "He brings nothing I could see to the Throne."

Stannis opened his mouth to argue, the rage boiling up inside him. How dare he presume to insult his prince consort? 

"…But then I spoke with Lord Davos." 

"You did?" Stannis was genuinely surprised by this. 

"Aye." Arryn smiled. "He didn't tell you? We lunched together every day last week."

Stannis frowned. He had devoted that time to Renly and had indeed been disappointed that Davos hadn't joined them. There had been more expeditions to discover secret passages, and their latest discovery was one Stannis longed to share with Davos. 

"I daresay we are well on the way to being friends. And I found that he brings much to the Throne. He brings compassion, honesty, and thoughtfulness—more than any highborn lad or lass who has been raised to expect such a position ever would. It's the very fact that he knows not what to say that will make him such an excellent prince."

Stannis nodded vigorously. He could not have said it better himself. "That is why I chose him."

"I see that now." He squeezed Stannis' shoulder. "I regret that I did not get to know you before, Stannis." He paused. "And there is still time. I will always miss your brother, but that does not mean… It does not mean I cannot gain another son."

Stannis did not wince or pull away at having been touched. He also smiled. Nor had he felt forced to do any of these things. Truly being engaged to Davos was working miracles. 

**

The only thing Davos found dismaying about their engagement was the length of time it took. Where Davos had grown up, when two people took a fancy to each other, they would trot off to the nearest sept almost as soon as they agreed they'd like to be married. (Of course, in more than one case, this was because a little visitor was on the way, in such a fashion as Davos couldn't imagine would be tolerated in Stannis' world.) 

However, when he'd told Stannis this, he'd looked at Davos like he'd just suggested eloping to Qarth. 

"But we need time," he said. "Time to get the sept ready, time for the guests to arrive, time for the wedding clothes to be made and the feast arranged…" 

There was time for lessons, too, and Renly offered his sympathy for Davos was learning to read and write, amidst the lessons in protocol.

"You're doing well," the septa who was seeing to his education in manners told him. "This is something highborn children learn over the course of their entire lives."

Davos managed a smile. At least he was doing as well as any child. 

**

The night before the wedding, Stannis didn't sleep at all, a fact he only realized when his barber entered in the morning to shave him. 

He said nothing during the procedure, but this wasn't exactly unusual—in Stannis' view, there was no need to talk. 

Thus, he was surprised when, after gathering his things, the barber said, "If that's all, Your Grace, I'll be going if it's all the same to you."

"What?" Stannis asked.

The man flushed. "I need to change my clothes, and Kella says I need a bath." Stannis must have looked blank because he said quickly. "Kella, the chambermaid, m-my wife." He bowed low. "Thank you, Your Grace, for inviting us." 

Before Stannis could say another word, he had hurried out, leaving Stannis still holding his towel.

As he dressed (which he'd always insisted on doing himself), Stannis thought about what the servant had just said. How should he have known that the man who shaved him every day was married? 

What was more troubling was what he'd said about being invited.

Perhaps something had been arranged for the servants. Stannis had left the planning of that sort of thing to others, including the invitation of the great lords. Those from farther away—Stark, Martell, Lannister, and Greyjoy, notably—had declined to attend, but appropriate gifts had been sent. Many Reachlords and stormlords were in attendance, as well as those of the crownlands. The servants were surely going to be given a meal or some such, and Stannis was content to let them have their party as long as everyone did what they were supposed to.

Including himself. 

He pinned the fur cloak over his shoulders, resigned to his fate. At least he would be marrying Davos. That made the entire thing worth tolerating.

**

Davos was so nervous he was glad that there was someone at each step of the way to tell him what to do. 

Someone had come in to help him dress; Davos was grateful for that, for the doublet of sea green slashed with gray was so richly embroidered, he was afraid to touch it. 

"You look very handsome," Kella told him, and Davos glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Somehow, the plain smuggler had been replaced by… he wasn't exactly sure it was a prince, but perhaps it was at least a knight.

After that, he was directed down the stairs to a waiting carriage so he could be driven to the Great Sept of Baelor. Stannis had already been taken there, and Davos' heart began to beat faster as he saw all the people lining the streets. They crowded each other to get a glimpse of something and they were past the bottom of Aegon's Hill before he realized they were trying to look at _him_. 

Davos pulled his gaze from the window and kept it fixed firmly at the seat opposite him. He could hear people calling to each other—were they jeering him? His stomach twisted in knots. 

These were common, lowborn people like himself. 

"Davos! Prince Davos!"

He chanced a glance out the window. The people who watched him pass were smiling and waving, pushing past each other to… make Davos aware they supported him. 

He could see no way to communicate with the driver, and he didn't think it was a good idea to open the door but he waved through the window and hoped people saw.

**

Stannis felt as though he'd been waiting in the back of the sept forever. He could not come in until Davos was waiting for him, beside the statue of the Father. This he knew. 

It did not make the waiting easier. 

Finally, Jon Arryn appeared. "He is ready, Your Grace." 

Stannis swallowed hard and nodded. Arryn came with him; Stannis could not have chosen another to play the role of second that should have gone to his father or brother were Renly old enough. Renly was his page, carrying the train of his foolish cloak. 

And there was Davos, at the front of the sept, smiling radiantly. Stannis could tell he was nervous by the set of his shoulders and the way he fidgeted, but seeing him brought a smile to Stannis face as he strode down the aisle toward him and the septon. And then he saw who was seated on Davos' side of the sept.

Stannis had known Davos had no family but that he'd had people he wanted to invite; he'd already informed Stannis in no uncertain terms that a pirate would stand beside him as Jon Arryn stood with Stannis. And, indeed, there was Salladhor Saan grinning next to Davos. 

Davos' invited guests were what seemed to be half of Fleabottom and a good portion of the staff at the Red Keep. Including—yes, Stannis' barber. He noticed Stannis looking at him and raised his hand in greeting before the woman next to him, his wife, pulled it down. 

Stannis turned his gaze back to Davos and started forward.

**

The ceremony was a heady blur. Davos knew when he was supposed to do what, though he was unprepared for kneeling before the septon so the consort's crown could be placed on his head. Luckily, the next thing that happened was Stannis pulling him to his feet and kissing him.

_We are married._ It hardly seemed real. 

Soon, they were leaving the sept arm in arm and standing on the steps outside. 

The citizens of King's Landing were there, too, and Davos waved heartily, a confident smile he did not entirely feel plastered on his face.

"Why are you doing that?" Stannis asked, through clenched teeth. 

"Because," Davos replied through his smile, "they came to see us. People love when the king gets married. Especially if they like who he marries."

"Oh." Stannis' gaze drifted out to the assembled crowd of people, all still clapping and cheering. "They have good taste, then." 

Davos flushed. He was aware of the burden he'd just taken on, that of prince consort, and that enormous pressure would be on him especially because he was lowborn. 

But it was nice to know he had the support of the common people, even if he didn't have the love of the lords. 

They may not have loved him, but they loved an excuse for a party. Davos was content to sit at the high table and receive occasional well-wishers, and he decided only the most stuck-up of the lords were bothered by mixing with the servants and denizens of Fleabottom. Salla in particular gained many lordly admirers, and Davos thought he certainly wouldn't be going to bed alone.

And, he reflected with a smile, neither would he.

He glanced over at Stannis. They hadn't been to bed together since they'd announced their engagement, and he missed him. 

Stannis was looking at him. 

Davos felt himself blush. 

Luckily, no one noticed him—save Kella who caught his eye.

"Are you tired, my lord?" she said to Renly.

Renly lifted his head sleepily off the table. "Must I go to bed?"

"Yes," Stannis said, smiling fondly. "You must."

"What will we do tomorrow?"

"We shall go exploring," Stannis said. "You, me, and Davos. We will explore the secret passage that leads to the sea."

Kella took Renly's hand and bowed to Stannis and Davos. "Good night, Your Graces." 

"Good night, Kella," Davos said. 

"Good night," murmured Stannis, and he waved genially to Kella's husband.

"I do not think I could ever get used to being called Your Grace," Davos said. 

"Well, you must," Stannis said, sipping his wine. "It is your due." 

"I know." For once, Davos didn't argue. Yes, he felt out of place in silk and velvet, with a bloody crown on his head, but he'd seen the way the people waved to him. They admired him, for little more than marrying the man he loved. But he was conscious of the fact that he represented something greater to them—how would he have felt as a child if a man from Fleabottom had married the king?

He glanced down at his shortened fingers, one of which now bore a ring set with a large topaz. He would have to remember where he came from. 

Stannis' gaze was scanning the hall. "I think no one has put any thought toward the bedding," he said hopefully. 

Davos fingers twined with Stannis' beneath the table. "We can leave if you like."

Stannis' answer was to push his chair back and rise.

**

They met no one as they made their way back to the royal apartments. Stannis' whole body seemed to thrum with anticipation. He could not stop himself from picking Davos up and carrying him the rest of the way.

He laid him carefully on the bed, taking a moment to savor the image of Davos, crown askew, wedding clothes a little rumpled, strands of hair escaping its ties. 

"You shouldn't have done that," Davos said, running a hand over Stannis' cheek. "We have to undress very carefully to not ruin these fine clothes. You may have to help me."

Stannis turned scarlet. "If you insist." 

He removed Davos' crown and began to untie his hair. It did not escape his notice that Davos shivered and he went more slowly, brushing his fingers through Davos' hair. 

Davos seemed to have had enough of this, for he then reached over and began to unlace Stannis' doublet. This was much better than being stripped by a mob, though Stannis was just as happy to discard his clothes on the floor, while Davos insisted on neatly folding his. 

Stannis was nearly at the point of snapping as he watched Davos—stark naked at that—arrange his clothes.

"Davos," he said quietly. "Come to bed. Please. It has been far too long."

Davos smiled. "I agree." He slipped into bed and pulled the curtains shut. 

They might have been in the king's bed, but here it felt no different than when they'd made love in Davos' bed in his own rooms, or in Stannis' rooms in the Maidenvault, what seemed like such a long time ago.

Here, they were not king and consort, but were merely married, which exactly what Stannis had wanted in the first place. 

He nuzzled at Davos' neck, making him laugh. "You were so insistent on my getting in bed," Davos said. "What are you waiting for?" 

Stannis waited no longer.


End file.
